The present invention relates to a tube toy including a run, track, or tube for marbles, balls, and other toys which includes a vertical component through which the toys will travel under the influence of gravity. In more detail, the present invention relates to a tube toy for use with a multiple piece, snap-together children's building toy of the type having complementary projections and recesses on each piece for supporting a plurality of tubes assembled in end to end fashion to form a continuous track or tube or combination thereof through which marbles, balls and other toys travel under the influence of gravity.
Various toys are available which include component parts which form a track or path to allow movement along that path in three dimensions. Examples include the many marble race and bead mazes that are currently on the market. Marble race toys are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,143 and the patents listed in the Background section of that patent. Bead mazes generally include one or more wires along which one or more wooden or plastic beads are pushed, the wires defining a fixed path which often loops and/or is intertwined with other such wires such as is shown on page 13 of the Pre-holiday 1994 catalog of Constructive Playthings (Grandview, Mo.).
Also known are children's multiple piece, snap-together building sets such as those available under the trademarks LEGO, DUPLO, TINKER TOY, BRIK, K'NEX, FLEXIBLOCKS, and TYCO. One of the objects of the present invention is to combine the many attributes of this type of construction toy with the motion provided by bead mazes and marble runs, and in particular, to provide that combination in a toy adapted for erection and support on, for example, the building block tables made and sold by Table Toys, Inc. (Houston, Tex.) under the TABLE TOYS trademark.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy in which the tubes or tracks can be assembled to provide a continuous, long run through which marbles, balls, and other children's toys will run under the influence of gravity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tube toy which, like the multiple piece, snap-together building sets described above, teaches manual dexterity, spatial relationships, and construction principles to the children who play with it.
These and many other objects of the present invention will be made clearer to those skilled in the art by the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof.